Injustice
by Marista
Summary: When Guinevere and the other peasants of Camelot are treated unfairly, who will come to their rescue?   Peasants don't have knights  or Princes  in shining armor – or do they?  Season 1, Pre-Arwen relationship story.


**Injustice**

**Summary:** When Guinevere and the other peasants of Camelot are treated unfairly, Arthur is initially unaware. He discovers what's going on through careful observation of Guinevere. Once he learns the truth – he becomes her personal savior and the savior of all the citizens of Camelot.

**Background: ** This story takes place between "To Kill the King" and "Le Morte D'Arthur".

**A/N: We saw a glimpse of how Gwen was inspired by Arthur in the episode 'Moment of Truth', but could one good speech and his help after her father's death really inspire the admiration she showed in "Le Morte D'Arthur"? Possibly. This is my humble contribution to set the stage of why she would think the world of him.**

Arthur was away for a few days on a minor quest. Uther sat in the council meeting; the reports from the northern border were not good.

Lord Afton reported "Sire, we need to sure up our defenses. We will need more men and greater equipment. It's time we purchased those new catapults from King Alined."

"His prices are steep. I don't want to bring down our coiffeurs to such a low level for weapons we may not use. We will need to create a tax to pay for it. Let's increase the tax by five percent for the nobility."

A frown crossed Lord Afton's face, but it quickly faded before anyone noticed. "Sire, a suggestion if I may…"

"Of course."

"**All** the people of your kingdom are under its protection equally. The last tax you imposed was on the nobles, I think this tax should go against the common man. Why should the peasants always get their services for free?"

"You have a valid point. Your proposal sounds fair, proceed."

Lord Afton smiled as he wrote the degree and gave it to Uther to sign. If Prince Arthur had been there, he would have realized that to collect the amount needed the common man would have to pay a tax of forty percent of their income instead of the five percent the nobles would have sacrificed.

"Sire, I also have some additional changes that can help to gird up the royal coiffeurs and supplement the purchase of any additional weapons we may want."

"Excellent Lord Afton, I wish I had more advisors like you."

TWO MONTHS LATER

Arthur sat alone in the main dining room. His father skipped the formal dinner in favor of catching up on some work. Morgana was invited to dinner with one of the nobleman's wives.

He was reading through an old document of war strategies as the plates of food were set before him. He smelled the warm chicken and looked up from his document, but the servant was not who he expected.

"Guinevere!" he said in surprise. "Where is Merlin?"

"I'm sorry, Sire. Merlin is ill. He asked if I would help him with his duties."

"Very well."

He continued to read through his document as she carefully and quietly filled his plate from the platters before him. He started to dig into his food while she poured his wine. The food on his plate was placed very neatly and looked appealing. She was a good servant; he only wished that she would rub off on Merlin, that idiot.

He had trained hard that day and had worked up quite and appetite. They didn't send the large trays that they normally did since he was eating alone, but it was sufficient for him. He had her to fill his plate with seconds of everything, effectively emptying all the trays. Then he raised his cup for more wine. She was immediately by his side refilling his cup. As she was about to return to her station he heard a gurgling sound. She froze for a moment, and then it happened again.

"Apologies Sire" she said quietly.

Arthur's eyes furrowed for a moment. "Was that your stomach?"

"I'm sorry, Sire."

"Have you had your dinner yet?" The words were out of his mouth before he even thought about it.

"I will have something later."

As he continued his meal he looked over at her standing by the wall. She was looking down for once instead of looking at him, to see if he needed anything. As he considered her, he noticed that she seemed a fair bit thinner than before, almost frail. He supposed it was the toll grief had taken on her. He hadn't really spoken with her since her father died.

Truth be told, he had been avoiding her. He felt partially responsible for her father's death. He should have fought harder to save the blacksmith. He did what he could for her, but he knew having a secure home and a job would not substitute for the care from her father.

Something about her seemed off, he shouldn't care, but he was curious. "Did you eat lunch?"

She looked up surprised. "I… I was sufficient."

"Did you eat breakfast?"

She was starting to look uncomfortable "Yes, Sire."

He couldn't figure out why such a basic question would be a source of discomfort. It made him want to find out more.

"What did you have for breakfast?"

"An apple, Sire."

"What are you having for dinner?"

"I have an apple, Sire."

He was filled with dozens of other questions, but she was so guarded in her answers. Why was she eating a diet of just apples? Surely she must be hungrier than that. He thought perhaps she should go see Gaius. But he decided to drop his questioning since she was looking more uncomfortable by the minute.

One thing Arthur understood as a hunter is that sometimes it is better to observe a situation before charging. This would appear to be such a case. He could have easily finished the portions on his plate, but he decided against it. He decided to try a little experiment to satisfy his curiosity. He downed his wine and started to pick up his papers.

"I am retiring to my chambers for the evening."

"Shall I bring this plate to your chambers?"

"No, I am done for the night. I won't require a servant for the rest of the evening, so don't worry about Merlin's other duties."

"Have a good night, Sire" she said as she began to stack the empty trays.

He tucked his papers under his arm and walked out the doors. Once they were closed he looked around making sure he was alone, then he knelt down and took a look through the keyhole.

He saw her look at the closed doors, and then she walked to his plate. He saw her begin to eat the left over food, but the way she ate it, she practically attacked it. 'When was the last time she ate anything but apples? And why would she choose to eat only apples?' he thought to himself.

Then in an even more curious move, he watched her take a napkin and begin to place the balance of the leftovers in it. The portion he left was something anyone could eat in one sitting, especially if they were hungry. 'Why was she rationing it? And why was she so hungry in the first place?'

He turned and headed back to his chambers. He would have given the issue more thought, however his father summoned him about the documents in hand. They were going to have a busy few days ahead of them if they were going to avoid a war.

Five days had passed and Arthur had all but forgotten the dinner where Guinevere had served him. But as fate would have it, he was back in the same situation. He was dining alone.

"Where is Merlin this time?" he said with irritation.

"I am not sure, Sire. He had something he needed to take care of."

Arthur started to go into a tirade about how 'he' was what Merlin needed to take care of, but telling Guinevere would not change anything. He would have a little talk with Merlin the next time he saw him.

Arthur was about to eat his food, but when he looked down at the very neat plate everything came back to him. Guinevere was standing at her post by the wall again.

"Tell me Guinevere, did you decide to have lunch today?" asked Arthur as he started his meal.

"Sire?"

"Did you eat lunch?"

He saw the guarded position again. "I was sufficient, Sire."

"And your dinner?"

"I will eat later."

"Another apple?"

"Yes, Sire."

"Why are you only eating apples?"

She looked like she wanted to answer, but she did not. Fear was very clearly written in her eyes, but what was she afraid of?

"Never mind."

His curiosity was peaked again. He would get answers, even if she didn't want to provide them.

Arthur held up his goblet for more wine. Guinevere was by his side in a heartbeat filling his cup.

"I'm not going to eat all of this" he said indicated the platters that held his second portion. "Why don't you eat some of it, unless you are in love with your apples?"

"Thank you Sire, that is very generous."

She started to walk back to her post.

"You don't want to eat it?"

"You meant for me to eat now?"

"Yes, while it still has some warmth to it."

She walked over cautiously and picked up a slice of chicken from one of the platters. "Thank you, Sire."

He saw her eat the chicken very quickly, although he could tell she was desperately trying to eat it slowly. She followed the chicken with one slice of cheese, and then she stopped eating.

"Are you full? You can have all of the portion that remains." She only looked at him. He waved his hand, motioning for her to continue eating, but she didn't. If Arthur didn't know better he would swear he saw guilt in her eyes.

"You should enjoy your meal in peace, Sire."

"Very well."

He finished his plate and left the room again, giving her permission to retire for the evening. When he knelt in front of the keyhole this time, he saw her again gather a napkin and place all of the leftover food it in. She tucked it away in her apron and began to clean up the area.

Something was missing from the story. He wasn't sure what it was, or why he had to know. Perhaps with the absence of her father she had fallen on hard times? But how was that possible when she had a job at the castle? But if that was the case, he would have to figure out a way to fix it. Her fathers' death was a tragedy and a young maid like Guinevere shouldn't be left to starve. He had to look after her.

He went back to his chambers and found his plain cloak. This is the one he used if he needed to be away from Camelot with a concealed identity. He donned his cloak and decided to take a walk by her home. He wouldn't go in, he just wanted to see the condition of the place. He had seen her home once, when he made arrangements for it to be placed in her name. He was pretty sure he remembered which one it was.

As he left the castle, he pulled up the hood. When he looked at the path ahead of him, he saw her small frame up ahead. It would make his task easier since she would lead him straight to her cottage.

She walked and she stopped at a different home. He was confused, he was certain her home was further down. Within a minute Guinevere emerged again and she continued on. She entered another door, and he did not believe this one to be her home either. She was leaving just as quickly again. He had barely ducked into the alley way when the door re-opened. He never realized she was such a social butterfly in her circles. As she walked out he observed a small child, maybe three winters old run after her. She picked up the child and a woman emerged. She hugged the child for a moment and gave him back to the woman. Arthur presumed the woman to be the child's mother.

"Don't worry I will be back in the morning before work" she said to the child

"God bless you Gwen" he heard the mother speak.

She turned and finally she entered the home he knew to be hers.

He walked up to the home and took a long look for as much as he could see in the fading twilight. The house seemed to be in good repair from the outside.

This was against his principles, but he wanted to get a sense of the inside of the home. He wasn't spying on her per se, it was for the sake of his understanding. With this reasoning giving him justification he walked to the front window. But her little porch would not sufficiently hide him, he realized that if anyone walked by he was easily seen and would be assumed to be a pervert and probably attacked. He saw there was another window off to the side and he opted to look through there.

Then he watched as she hung her cloak. She began to undo the ties to her dress. He knelt down and looked away. Part of him wanted to see her, but he would not dishonor her in this way, Guinevere deserved better than that. He waited for what seemed to be an appropriate amount of time and he looked again.

She was wearing a loose fitting plain white sleeping gown. Even though the gown was somewhat form fitting he was able to see how it hung off of her. It was way too loose. He was sure the garment wasn't meant to fit that way. He watched as she began to remove the clips from her hair. When she was finished it was free, wild and loose about her shoulders. He really liked her hair like that, but he supposed that it wasn't practical for a servant. She rubbed her arms as if she was cold and he saw her grab a blanket from somewhere and wrap it about herself. It was getting chilly; he wondered why she didn't light a fire.

He watched as she hung up her dress. Then he saw her take the napkin out of the pocket – it was empty. Perhaps there were two napkins? She neatly folded it up and left in on the table. Then she reached back into her cloak and pulled out an apple. He watched as she quietly and quickly ate it. When she finally put down the remains, it was nothing more than the seeds and the stem. She held her hand against her stomach and he watched her go lay down out of view.

He was so occupied with deciphering her actions he had forgotten to look at the inside of her home. His eyes swept around. He saw a little pedestal tray in the center of her table. They were a common item in Camelot. The one in his room was filled with fresh apples and grapes. Hers was empty. He looked at the area where there was a little stove. He saw empty jars along the side. Her home was very neat and orderly. There was nothing out of the ordinary as far as he could tell. But the issue is that he had no idea what the place looked like before.

He turned and walked back to the castle. He considered everything he sad seen and decided that he would return to this street early morning to watch Guinevere's visits. He wasn't sure what it would reveal, or why he should even care, now that he saw the house was alright, but he did. He had to admit to himself that he very much cared about Guinevere's wellbeing. Something about this maiden inspired him to want to protect her.

Arthur knew that Guinevere would be in Morgana's chambers before she woke. So whatever activity that was happening would have to be at first light. He would have to wake when it was still dark. He hated waking that early, but it was only one morning.

He woke at first light. He cursed himself. By this time he had planned to already be near Guinevere's home. Whatever she was doing might already be in motion. He threw on his shirt, boots and cloak and headed out. He hoped he hadn't missed her. He decided to go to her house first, he peaked in – empty.

He wondered if she were already on her way to the castle. There was quite a bit of motion so early in the lower town. He didn't realize all the residents woke this early. As he was about to turn and head back, he saw her coming out of a door. It was a different home than either of the two she had visited last night. She was holding up the apron of her dress, and it was filled with something, what he could not tell. He watched her enter another door, then another. He observed that the load in her apron was smaller with each visit. Finally he saw her go to the home with the small child. When she got to this door she didn't go in.

He had to strain, but he could hear her speak. Also he could see her better from this vantage point.

"I'm sorry Edda, I cannot come in this morning. I am running late. The pickings are getting slimmer and are taking longer to get."

"Don't worry Gwen. I'm just so grateful for your help."

He watched as she began to hand the woman a bunch of apples. "I'll be back tomorrow morning unless good fortune favors me again tonight."

"Thank you."

He saw Guinevere turn from the doorway. He had to jump back as she turned her head unexpectedly, but she did not take notice of him. He saw her with an apple in each hand. One she slid into a pocket or something. The other he saw her eating on her way to the castle.

He decided to stay where he was for a few moments, lest he accidentally run into her. He was the Prince, he could take an early morning walk if he wanted to, but it was just easier if he didn't have to make up some lame excuse. He watched the lower town continue to come alive. He noticed that a number of people were eating apples.

He did think it was odd. Did the baker no longer make bread? Did the butcher no longer provide meat? He took his time walking back and observed that the baker was indeed baking bread. It smelled good as well. He wondered why people would opt for apples. He headed back to the castle. He removed his shirt, cloak and boots. He eased back into bed and fell asleep before Merlin arrived.

"Rise and shine" said Merlin cheerily.

Arthur was grouchy since he lost the extra hour of sleep this morning. He saw his breakfast tray sitting on his table. Merlin began to pull out clothes for him to wear and prepare hot water so he could wash up.

"I have a question for you, Merlin. Do you know of anything strange happening in the lower town?"

"Strange in what way?"

Arthur couldn't think of a way to answer without revealing too much. "Nevermind."

Arthur started to pick over his breakfast. "What did you eat for breakfast Merlin?"

Merlin looked at him in surprise. "Gaius made porridge for me, why?"

"No reason."

Merlin was useless as always. Arthur proceeded to go through his day. He had no interactions with Morgana today, so he wouldn't see Guinevere unless she showed up at dinner. Unfortunately she didn't, Merlin was actually on duty to do his job.

The next morning Arthur woke while it was still dark. He donned his outfit and went to Guinevere's house. He peaked through the window and saw soft caramel colored flesh. He gasped as he fell to his knees and closed his eyes. He could hear the sound of water being splashed around. She was bathing. He had only seen her back, but that skin… he had never seen anything so beautiful. He swallowed hard. It took all of his strength to not look through her window again. He did not come here to be a peeping tom.

He remained in his kneeling position and waited. After a while he heard her door open. He sneaked a peak out into the street and he saw her walking down the street, the opposite way of the castle. Others were also beginning to stir in the lower town. He hadn't realized it yesterday, but most people were heading in the same direction. He stepped out and began to follow the informal procession.

Everyone was heading towards the apple orchards on the far side of the kingdom. He watched as there were scores of people trying to get the apples out of the trees. Some of the more feeble people were picking up the apples that had fallen to the ground, most of them rotten. The more able bodied were climbing the trees, the bottoms of all the ones he had seen were picked clean. He followed them deeper and deeper, mostly because he was looking for Guinevere. He found her climbing a tree far away from the others. 'Smart move', he thought. There wouldn't be as many people back here, not as much competition. She was filling her apron with apples. He didn't know how many she was trying to get, but there weren't many on that tree.

As he looked to his left he saw a much larger grove of trees that were completely full. As he walked in their direction he could see that the earth underneath the trees was filled with perfectly good apples that had just fallen off the branch. It was strange.

He saw a man walking by with a small basket. Arthur pulled his hood further down over his face and approached the man.

"Friend. I am new in these parts. A question?"

"Make it quick."

"Why is everyone picking over these apples when there are perfectly good trees a few steps away. Is there something wrong with them?"

"Those are the royal's trees. If you go near those you will end up in the stocks. I guess Uther needs fresh apples every day in addition to all the other food he gets to eat."

"Is there a shortage of food?"

"No, but there is a shortage of money to buy food."

"What are you talking about? Camelot is a prosperous kingdom."

"You really are new to these parts. I would suggest that you do your business in Camelot and then move on. It was a good place, but the new tax they levied on the common man is killing us. Forty percent! Can you believe it? Forty percent! I don't know how they expect us to pay that kind of tax and still be able to live. These apple orchards are the only source of food now for those who aren't farmers and that can't afford to pay for food anymore. But the orchards are almost bare now. I guess in another week or so, we'll starve. But that doesn't matter as long as Uther gets his coins."

Arthur couldn't believe his ears, but it had to be the truth. Suddenly every thing he witnessed over the last week with Guinevere made sense.

"But surely even with the tax, you could afford one loaf of bread?"

"You would think so, but the baker has to pay the tax like everyone else. All the vendors increased their prices to cover their tax. But no one can afford to pay the higher price so they raised the price even higher to make enough money to pay the tax with only a few sales per day. The only ones that can afford to eat are the nobility, and they don't seem to care about the rest of us. Listen, I have to go make sure I can get a few apples for my family."

"Thank you for your time."

"Good luck friend, and get out of Camelot as soon as you can."

Arthur was reeling from the man's words. His people were suffering horribly and he had no idea.

Arthur turned away and as luck would have it, he saw Guinevere on her way out of the orchard. He followed behind her and observed her movements. She didn't enter any of the houses this morning, she merely knocked on the doors and handed the person one apple. He saw her go by the home with the little boy. She handed the woman one apple. He was certain she had received many apples the day before. Then he watched Guinevere walk to the castle. There were no apples in her hands at all today. He saw her gait slow and she wearily leaned against a post for a moment. The time for stealth had past.

"Guinevere."

She turned and saw him standing in front of her home. She looked at him in surprise "Arthur? What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak…"

He rushed up and held her arm as she nearly fainted. The closet place for her was home, he walked her the few steps back to her cottage, and they entered. He sat her in a chair.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Sire, just a little… under the weather."

He couldn't believe she was still trying to cover up what was going on. "You're starving."

She looked at him in surprise again, and then she simply answered him.

"What can I do? I wasn't able to get what I needed this morning."

"I don't understand. You have a home without debt, and a job at the castle. Why is your diet only apples? Why can't you buy food?"

"My father owed another debt that transferred to me when he died. Before the tax I could meet those obligations and care for my daily needs. Now that we have a forty percent tax, I've had to cut back."

"Even if you can't afford to buy food, why don't you eat from the palace kitchens? There's plenty of food there."

"It's no longer that way. When the tax was passed other rules changed not long after. Servants are no longer allowed to eat from the kitchens unless they live in the castle. The best a person can hope for is table scraps. But with the cut backs, they are serving portions that are just enough for the eater. There usually aren't scraps anymore."

"I don't have any food with me, but at least I can get you warmed up. I'll start a fire. Then I'll walk you to the castle where you will eat a full meal from the palace kitchens."

"That is kind of you, but there's no wood. That was the first thing I stopped buying." She smiled.

Arthur didn't smile back "Why didn't you collect it yourself?"

"I did at first, but so did everyone else in the lower town. Now you have to travel an hour's walk into the forest to find wood suitable to burn; and I don't have the skills or tools to chop down a tree for myself. So I focused on the basest necessity which was food for myself, the widows and the elderly in the town who could not collect food for themselves."

"I had no idea my people were suffering such an injustice. A forty percent tax is unthinkable."

She looked at him puzzled by his response. "But weren't you part of the discussion to impose the tax in the first place?"

"No. It was done while I was away on a mission. I was told there was a new tax for the people, but it was supposed to be five percent."

"You were misinformed."

"Yes, and so was my father. I'll speak with him about this first thing. I don't understand one thing – why hasn't there been an uproar about this?"

"No one wants to go to the cells."

"What? How can you go to the cells just for complaining?"

"That's why happened to Fulton, the candle-maker. He complained to Lord Afton who is in charge of the tax for your father. He was in the cells for 30 days. No one complained after he was arrested. We just survived the best we could.

"Those of us who were able, helped those who did not have well stocked pantries or who could not get food for themselves. My supplies were gone within two weeks. Then I had to turn to the apple orchard. A bunch of us pulled together, but the problem is that as food becomes scarcer, people are ceasing to help one another in favor of helping themselves. I didn't understand that mentality until now. If Edda didn't have small children I might have kept that apple for myself."

"Why doesn't Edda go the orchard herself? She seemed young enough and her children could probably help her."

"She has been ill for some time. She would have passed out before she ever made it to the orchards. She has four children and the oldest is only four winters old. The fact that her husband died only complicated the problem."

"How did he die?"

"He was a palace guard. He died when the gryphon attacked Camelot."

"The beast that Lancelot slew" he said as he remembered what happened months ago.

"Yes. She appealed to you father for help, because of her illness and the children, but he said it would be unfair for her to receive special compensation. She received the standard widow's allotment. It wasn't much, but she was able to scrape by, and it probably would have sustained her for awhile, perhaps until she was better – but with the tax she was wiped out."

"The people are suffering and I had no idea. I can't believe I'm so out of touch."

"I know you are busy, but perhaps you could spend sometime in the lower town. Not just walking through on your way to somewhere else, but spending time observing your people, seeing how they live, maybe even talking with some of them. If you did that something like this would not have escaped your notice for so long."

Arthur just looked at her. Her words rang true. Gwen's eyes grew large.

"I'm sorry Sire; it is not my place to tell you how you should spend your time."

"No, you are absolutely right. I only wish we had this conversation sooner, we could have saved much suffering. I told you if you needed anything all you had to do was ask. Why didn't you come to me?"

"I didn't think it was wise to talk to you, I thought this tax was something you were in agreement with."

"No, I had no idea. And I swear to you Guinevere, everything we have discussed will be addressed."

"Thank you, Sire."

Later that same day the forty percent peasant tax was rescinded. A section of the royal orchard was temporarily opened to everyone. Each person in the lower town received a measure of grain from the storehouse, and a portion of the amount taxed was returned to each person.

Arthur wanted more, but this was as far as he could convince his father to go. His only disappointment is that Lord Afton would not pay for his deception. He claimed he did not know it translated to forty percent, but Arthur knew the truth and he would be watching out for him.

Three days later Arthur took a stroll through the lower town. Something he promised himself he would do at least three times per week. The place was lively and full of energy. He saw Guinevere and she gave him a big smile. He walked over to her.

He could see that her vigor had returned, although she was still looking very thin.

She looked at him in awe. "Sire, you kept your promise, and so much more. My father's debt has been cancelled. Even Edda's widow allotment has been increased, so she can finally feed her children well. You really care about the people of Camelot."

"What good is a kingdom if the people die of starvation? Especially when there is plenty of food around for all." She smiled at his words.

"And I see you're walking around town."

"Yes, and I will do so every couple of days."

"That is wonderful news, Sire."

"Is everything alright now? Do you have enough to eat?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You should never feel like you're on your own in the world. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."

"Well… there is one thing."

"Sure, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask a question."

"Alright."

She opened her mouth, and then closed it. "Never mind, it's a silly question."

"I want to hear it."

"Ok. The other morning, when we spoke about the tax for the first time…"

"Go on" he encouraged.

"Why were you outside of my house so early in the morning?"

**A/N: Thank you for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it. Your thoughts and constructive criticisms are welcome.**

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